Osun Assembly inaugurates committee to probe state’s debt profile 

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo

Osun State House of Assembly on Wednesday inaugurated a 10-man ad-hoc committee, to find out the exact debt profile of the state.

The Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Timothy Owoeye at plenary said that several reports had been published concerning the debt profile of the state.

Owoeye in a statement by his media aide, Kunle Alabi, stated that the figure that the Assembly has is different from what was reeled out by the executive arm of government.

The Speaker noted that the situation, if not carefully handled may affect investors and people who want to have transactions with the state.

Owoeye, while relying on sections 128 and 129 of the constitution said: “For the purposes of any investigation under section 128 of this constitution and subject to the provisions thereof, a House of Assembly or a committee appointed in accordance with section 103 of this constitution shall have power to.

“(a) procure all such evidence, written or oral, direct or circumstantial, as it may think necessary or desirable and examine all persons as witnesses whose evidence may be material or relevant to the subject matter;

“The only institution that can clear the air on this is the House of Assembly, as government is a continuum. This exercise is going to be transparent. That is why we have co-opted the Minority leader into the committee.”

The committee has the Speaker as its chairman, while the Chairman, House Committee on Public Account and Chairman of the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Hon. Gbenga Ogunkanmi and Hon. Adebayo Olodo respectively are co- chairmen.

Others are the Minority Leader, Hon. Kofoworola Adewunmi, Hon. Tunde Olatunji, Hon. Michael Adetoyi, Hon. Babatunde Ibirogba, Hon. Lateef Adebisi, Hon. Babatunde Komolafe, Hon. Adiru Abefe and the Clerk, Mr. Simeon Amusan as the Secretary.